Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has acknowledged that his nation's counteroffensive against Russian forces is not proceeding as rapidly as he wants.

He expressed the view during an interview with British broadcaster BBC that was aired on Wednesday.

Admitting that "not everything is easy," Zelenskyy pointed out the presence of land mines poses difficulties. He said his country would "definitely like to make bigger steps -- they are a bit smaller than we want."

His comments come as Ukrainian forces conduct counteroffensive operations in the eastern region of Donetsk and the southern region of Zaporizhzhia in a bid to liberate captured areas.

He stressed that the counteroffensive will succeed, while saying: "We have to motivate not only our army, but our Western allies. Aid can be slowed down or stepped up. To be honest aid depends on us moving forward."

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed new graduates of military academies in Moscow on Wednesday and announced Russia's new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles will soon be deployed for combat duty.

In an interview with state-run media that followed, Putin said that "the enemy doesn't stand a chance."